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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Brussels Sprouts - Triumph or tragedy?

Remember when I told you all I was looking to try brussels sprouts? I know, seems like a lifetime ago. I think the Mr. was hoping I would forget or keeping buying them with good intentions and end up throwing them out. The night finally came that I was ready to give it a go and honestly it was the worst night to do it. I'd been baking all day, still had a house to clean and was stressed to the max. But I said "tonight's the night" and I had him cut them in half and get them back to me. He was nervous. He remembers the smell of sulfur filling the air and his mouth when he was a kid and to him, nothing could improve that in his mind. Well that only happens if you overcook or over-steam them which I had no intention of doing. I took the sprout halves and my spray mister and misted them with olive oil. I tossed them in garlic, added some black pepper and cut up one slice of low sodium bacon and put them in a glass pan. I roasted them for about 30 minutes and got this:

The Mr was willing to choke them down since they smelled good and I was anxious to try them finally to see what I thought. I took my first bite and they were good. The more I ate, the more I loved them. They tasted like the insides of a really good egg roll with a smoky bacon flavor. The Mr had a bit of a mental block with them but in the end he said he would absolutely eat them again if I prepared them that way and would try them any other way. I made them again the same way and they were the only side dish (I had rice to temper them for him last time) and the Mr ate them. They're not his favorite but I'll confess, they're my new favorite. I will so be stocking up on these as much as possible when they're in peak season, which I think is starting to dwindle if I'm not mistaken. Boo! I'm anxious to try a slaw recipe I've got whirling in my noggin and of course you know I'll give you my feedback on those!

When someone else is a guinea pig for a food and likes it, does it influence you to give it a chance you might not have on your own?

Roasting veggies of almost any kind makes them better, in my book--what a great way to prepare them! I do sometimes let others' opinions sway me somewhat, but in the end it's usually based on my own experience and how adventurous I'm feeling at the time.

I have always been closed minded about veggies in particular...I suppose a lifetime of why eat those when I can have (insert high cal food here) instead? But, I am finding myself more willing to 'try' things...and finding I do like them more than I thought I did! Still not sure about brussels sprouts, though....:)

Adding bacon to anything makes it better. I'm kind of picky, but I'm pretty willing to try any kind of fruit or veggie. It's convincing hubby that a meal without meat can still be supper that's the hard part.

I always had them as a tween/teen cooked in butter sauce, I think it was. I have 1 kid out of 4 who will eat them with me. BUT, since trying to eat differently, I tried them roasted with olive oil and sea salt. Never thought about the garlic. I'm not real big on bacon, but that sounds interesting. I still can't get the husband to eat them. lol. I buy mine frozen and thaw them in the fridge fully before cooking mine.

Found your blog tonight through Can You Stay for Dinner. Brussells Sprouts are one of my favorites too and roasting is the way to go. If you like this, look up Martha Stewarts recipe - she has one similar but adds Granny Smith apples. Yum. A big pan of roasted vegetables (sprouts, asparagus, green beans, carrots, onion, tomato, sweet potato, whatever) tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme is one of my favorite meals or great side dish to simple grilled meats.

And to add another vegetable you probably hated as a kid - beets! Look up Simply Recipies dot com and find her recipe for sprouts with golden beets. Oh my - one of the best combinations I have ever eaten. Nothing like the beets in a can from childhood.

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I've lost over 200 lbs the old fashioned way with some more to go. I'm doing this with my hubby (The Mr) and he has lost 190 lbs so far. I wanted to share my journey as well and give people with a lot of weight to lose hope that this can be done without surgery or cutting out entire food groups! Passionate about photography, cooking, traveling, DIY and anything 80's.

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